Objectives

• Analyse how Morrison uses the founding legend of the Bottom and Shadrack's shell-shock to establish race, community, and psychological damage as the novel's structural foundations.
• Analyse how Morrison constructs the Nel–Sula friendship through shared guilt over Chicken Little's drowning, examining what the bond reveals about identity and freedom.
• Analyse how Eva's burning of Plum and Hannah's death by fire function as acts of love, power, and sacrifice, and how Morrison refuses a single moral judgement.
• Analyse how Sula's return in 1937, her affair with Jude, and her relationship with Ajax dramatise Morrison's concept of the 'new world Black woman' and the cost of freedom.
• Write an evidenced analytical paragraph — and a full essay — that argues a position about how Morrison uses Nel's grief-recognition in Chapter 11 to reframe the entire novel's meaning.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: The Bottom's Founding Lie: Race, Place, and Shadrack's Trauma (Chapters 1–2)

   60 min · ch. 1, 2

   Do now

   Read the opening paragraph of the novel — 'In that place, where they tore the nightshade and blackberry patches…' — silently. Write two sentences: identify what has been lost and who is being held responsible for that loss. Avoid looking anything up; rely solely on the words provided.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the founding legend passage in Chapter 1 — the white farmer's trick that grants Black residents the 'Bottom' of Heaven, the rocky hilltop. Demonstrate to students how Morrison's free indirect discourse ('He thought maybe he could trick the nigger') draws the reader into the farmer's reasoning, and how the ironic reversal of 'bottom/top' underscores the novel's central argument: that Black life in America is constructed on a foundational lie. Annotate sentence structure, shifts in tone, and the use of the word 'nigger' as Morrison's intentional provocation.

   Independent task

   Students will write a PEEL paragraph (150–200 words) that addresses the question: 'How does Morrison use the founding legend in Chapter 1 to illustrate the relationship between the Black community and white America?' They need to include at least two quotes from the legend passage and one detail about Shadrack's return—specifically, his inability to recognize his own hands in the hospital—to demonstrate how individual trauma and collective dispossession reflect one another. Paragraphs will be collected at the end of the lesson.

   Exit ticket

   On a half-sheet: name ONE technique used by Morrison in the founding legend passage and write one sentence explaining how it impacts the reader or what emotions it evokes. Submit it as you exit.

2. Lesson 2: Chicken Little and the Secret That Binds: Friendship, Guilt, and Identity (Chapters 4 and 6)

   60 min · ch. 4, 6

   Do now

   Without opening the novel, take three minutes to reflect: what does it mean to share a secret with someone? Does confiding in a secret strengthen the bond between people, or does it create a sense of entrapment? Consider your thoughts in relation to Nel and Sula, even if you're just speculating.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the moment in Chapter 4 when Sula swings Chicken Little in a circle, sending him flying into the river — "His little legs were bicycling in the air… and then he was gone." Pay special attention to Morrison's use of the word "bicycling": it captures the lively energy of childhood play, adds a grotesque humor to the scene, and contrasts sharply with the stark finality of "gone." This choice highlights how Morrison avoids using adjectives to convey horror, allowing the reader to experience the girls' emotional detachment. Then, consider how the line from Chapter 6, "they had already killed a little boy," retroactively imbues the earlier events with a deeper sense of tragedy.

   Independent task

   Students annotate a printed extract: the full Chicken Little sequence from 'Sula picked him up by his hands' to 'Sula simply cried' (Chapter 4). They need to label: (a) one moment where Morrison refrains from making a moral judgement, (b) one word or phrase that illustrates how Nel's response differs from Sula's, and (c) one structural choice — such as sentence length, tense, or paragraph breaks — that influences the reader's reaction. Below the extract, they write three sentences summarizing what the drowning reveals about the differences between Nel and Sula's identities. The annotated extracts are then collected.

   Exit ticket

   Write one sentence: Who feels more guilty after Chicken Little's death — Nel or Sula — and provide one word from Chapter 4 to support your answer.

3. Lesson 3: Eva's Fire: Love, Power, and the Refusal of Easy Morality (Chapters 3 and 5)

   60 min · ch. 3, 5

   Do now

   Read Eva's explanation of why she burned Plum, given to Hannah in Chapter 5: 'I held him close first… but I had to keep him out so he could live.' I agree with Eva's reasoning because sometimes difficult choices are necessary for the greater good. However, I also question whether causing harm to someone we care about can ever truly be justified, even for their survival. You have four minutes.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the burning scene in Chapter 5 — specifically the passage where Eva rocks Plum 'like a baby' before pouring the kerosene. Focus on Morrison's use of maternal language: 'cradled him,' 'rocked,' 'baby.' These words create a duality in Eva's act, portraying it as both infanticide and a profound expression of mothering. Highlight the free indirect discourse that reveals Eva’s thoughts — 'He was dying anyway' — and note how Morrison avoids framing the scene with a moral judgment in the chapter title. Draw parallels to Hannah's death by fire later in Chapter 5: two fires, two women, and two forms of helplessness.

   Independent task

   Students are tasked with writing a comparative paragraph (180–220 words) that addresses the question: "How does Morrison use fire in Chapters 3 and 5 to portray Eva Peace as both a destroyer and a protector?" In their responses, they need to include quotes from the scene where Eva rocks Plum and the moment when she jumps from the window to save Hannah. Additionally, they should analyze at least one structural feature, specifically the chapter's date heading '1923' and the implications of what it conceals, along with discussing language use. The completed paragraphs will be collected.

   Exit ticket

   Morrison prompts the reader to grapple with Eva's actions regarding Plum's burning rather than outright condemning her. The word "sacrifice" suggests that Eva's decision is complex and laden with deeper motivations.

4. Lesson 4: The New World Black Woman: Sula's Return, Ajax, and the Cost of Freedom (Chapters 7 and 8)

   60 min · ch. 7, 8

   Do now

   Look at the first sentence of Chapter 7: 'Accompanied by a plague of robins, Sula came back to Medallion.' List every connotation of the word 'plague.' Then write one sentence: does Morrison portray Sula's return as threatening, biblical, comic, or something else? Be specific.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the Ajax scene in Chapter 8, where Sula envisions peeling back the layers of Ajax’s skin to reveal ‘loam’ and then ‘gold’ beneath. She thinks, ‘If I take a chamois and rub real hard on the bone, some of the gold will appear.’ Notice how Morrison gives Sula an artist's perspective typically reserved for male characters viewing women: Sula objectifies Ajax not with malice but with a sense of reverent curiosity. Annotate the geological metaphors — loam, gold, alabaster — and consider: what does it signify for a Black woman in 1939 to envision a Black man as landscape? Relate this to Morrison's goal of portraying a woman who has the freedom to define her own identity.

   Independent task

   Students will craft a structured response (200–250 words) to the prompt: 'How does Morrison use Sula's relationship with Ajax in Chapter 8 to depict freedom as both liberating and self-destructive?' They should: quote the passage about 'loam' and 'gold'; pinpoint the moment when Sula's desire turns possessive (when she discovers his driver's license and learns his real name, Albert Jacks); and discuss whether Morrison portrays this as Sula's failure or as the unavoidable cost of intimacy for someone who embraces absolute freedom. Responses will be collected.

   Exit ticket

   In Chapters 7 or 8, Sula engages in a casual sexual relationship without the constraints of societal judgment, which is something unheard of for female characters in typical 1930s literature. Morrison includes this to challenge the traditional gender roles and societal expectations placed on women during that era.

5. Lesson 5: 'It was Sula': Nel's Grief-Recognition and the Tunnel Collapse (Chapters 10 and 11)

   60 min · ch. 10, 11

   Do now

   Without re-reading, write the last line of the novel from memory, or as close as you can get. Then write one sentence: what does that final cry — 'girl, girl, girlgirlgirl' — reveal about Nel's loss and the moment it happened?

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the final paragraph of Chapter 11 — Nel's grief-cry in the cemetery — paying special attention to Morrison's use of the second person and the fragmented syntax: 'girl, girl, girlgirlgirl.' This breakdown of the word reflects Nel's loss of self-control. Additionally, the transition from 'Jude' to 'Sula' in Nel's realization — 'We was girls together… O Lord, Sula' — changes the meaning of every scene in the novel. This connects to the tunnel collapse in Chapter 10: the community's descent into a hole created by the exclusion of white labor parallels Nel's emotional breakdown, as she confronts grief she has misunderstood for years.

   Independent task

   Students will write a timed essay (350–450 words) that responds to the prompt: 'Morrison concludes Sula not with the tunnel collapse but with Nel's personal grief. How does this structural choice influence the reader's perception of friendship, loss, and identity throughout the entire novel?' They need to reference at least three chapters by their date headings, include at least four quotes, and present a clear argument in their opening sentence. Essays will be collected and graded according to the rubric reviewed at the beginning of the lesson.

   Exit ticket

   The novel’s final word — 'girl' — carries profound significance, and Morrison repeats it for emphasis and depth; this is your concluding thought on Sula for today.

Activities

Assessment

• Exit ticket Lesson 1: student names a specific technique from the founding legend and explains its effect on the reader — looking for precision of terminology and text-rootedness, not general comment about racism.
• Annotated extract Lesson 2: student labels Morrison's withholding of moral judgement at a specific moment in the Chicken Little sequence — looking for ability to read absence and silence as authorial choice.
• Exit ticket Lesson 3: student takes a position on whether Morrison condemns Eva and justifies it with a single word — looking for willingness to argue rather than hedge, and for close reading of connotation.
• Collected paragraph Lesson 4: student uses geological metaphors from the Ajax scene to argue a position about freedom — looking for integration of quotation into argument rather than quotation followed by paraphrase.
• Exit ticket Lesson 5: student explains the compression of 'girl' into 'girlgirlgirl' — looking for understanding of how syntax enacts meaning, not just what the word denotes.

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• RL.11-12.3 — Analyse the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g. where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
• RL.11-12.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• RL.11-12.5 — Analyse how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
• W.11-12.1 — Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — Develop a thesis that interprets a literary text and defend it with relevant textual evidence.
• Figurative Language (FIG-1) — Explain the function of specific words and phrases, including connotation and figurative language, in a literary text.
• Narration (NAR-1) — Explain the function of point of view, including free indirect discourse, in a literary text.
• Structure (STR-1) — Explain the function of structure in a literary text, including how the ordering of chapters by date shapes meaning.
• Character (CHR-1) — Explain the function of contrasting characters — Nel and Sula — and how their relationship develops a theme.

AQA

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology.
• AO3 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received — including Morrison's 1970s context, second-wave feminism, and African American literary tradition.
• AO5 — Explore literary texts informed by different interpretations — including feminist and African American critical readings of Sula as the 'new world Black woman.'

Edexcel

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology.
• AO4 — Explore connections across literary texts — e.g. Morrison's refusal of moral judgement compared with other texts on the specification.
• AO5 — Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of contextual factors in the production and reception of literary texts.